I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for joining together lead battery posts and lead bushings.
II. Description of the Prior Art
In forming a completed battery terminal, high profile lead bushings are placed into an injection molded battery cover, the bushings and lead post over which the bushing fits protruding upward for a substantial length. The battery posts and bushings are welded together. The burning is directed at the post and melting starts at the top of the post and some of the material flows down cooling as it contacts the remaining mass of the lead post preventing full fusion near the bottom of the post. The mass of the post is so great that in order to get sufficient heat transfer, a very strong torch must be used in order to weld the post to the bushing. In high profile bushings then, it is very difficult to accomplish complete fusion since the molten lead acts as an insulating layer when it freezes, preventing further fusion of the post to the bushing.
In Lormor's U.S. Pat. No. 1,841,194, an apparatus for lead burning storage battery terminal posts and connectors is described. This patent describes storage batteries "provided with a number of cells having upstanding terminal posts to which connectors are applied." The adjoining cells are connected by cross connectors which are lead burned to the terminal posts. Each cross connector consists "of a strap having sockets at its opposite ends designed to be fitted over the two posts of adjoining cells which are to be connected together."
In the Lormor patent, burners are described which extend down vertically from a support labelled 15, toward the battery. The support 15 is given an oscillatory movement "for the purpose of giving the burners a simultaneous rotary motion so that the individual flames will travel around the peripheries of the terminal posts". The burners are not free to rotate within the plate 15 but move with the movement of the plate.
In the Tiegel et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,493,035, an apparatus for joining battery posts is described. In this patent, molds are provided for encircling pairs of post members and heat producing means is provided to produce heat adjacent to pairs of the post members encircled by the molds. Thus, the post members are melted and allowed to fuse together. In addition, hold-down means are provided with the apparatus adjacent to the molds for holding the cell plate structures against movement when the molds are moved from their post encircling position.